Outside Newton Falls council chambers Wednesday - anger at elected officials offset by support for the city's police department and its ousted chief.
Inside council chambers - the chief himself waiting to hear a decision about the future of the department he led.
A decision that angered nearly 100 residents packed inside.

Effective immediately, the city will enter into an agreement with the Trumbull County Sheriff's Office to provide police coverage.
Mayor Ken Kline blames a levy failing last month for putting the city in a pinch.

"It really could've been prevented," Kline said before Wednesday's meeting. "For the small amount of money that we would put in, everybody in this area passed a levy other than Newton Falls."

The agreement will cost the city $400,000 a year - an amount it says is within budget.
Eight hours each week, deputies will respond to calls on an as-needed basis.
Not enough for dozens of people who came to the meeting in protest.

"If we dismantle our police department, do you know how much our homeowner's insurance is going to go up?" asked one resident.

"More than half the town doesn't want the cops to go. We want our police department!" said another.

"Now half the guys I grew up with were either forced into retirement and others I came to love who helped me through the toughest times of my life are being pushed out of this department," said yet another.

Amid concerns about response time and manpower, only time will tell whether the voices in protest of council's decision will have fallen on deaf ears.

The chief of nearby Windham Police Department, about eight miles away in Portage County, came to speak to encourage council to consider allowing his department to provide service to Newton Falls. A measure that would've allowed discussion of that matter did not get a second and never made it to the floor.